


Wings of a Dove

by Julie_Jeanette



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: 18th Century, Chance Meeting, F/M, France (Country), Meet-Cute, Pen Pals, Sibling Love, Sorcerers, Spells & Enchantments, Teenage Crush, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 00:42:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17172599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Julie_Jeanette/pseuds/Julie_Jeanette
Summary: Backstory for Plumette and her first encounter with Lumiere. Plumette is a non-Magical girl, born to French Enchanted sorcerer parents. A glimpse into her background, and the childhood of Prince Adam and his mother. Holiday themed.





	Wings of a Dove

**Author's Note:**

> Note:
> 
> This story has been edited and re-categorized as a Beauty and the Beast 2017 story, not a crossover with Harry Potter.
> 
> I have dropped all references to Harry Potter-related things, such as the mention of Quidditch. I decided it didn't work well as a crossover, since there are no canon Harry Potter characters included, only Beauty and the Beast. 
> 
> Plus, I simply want to use creative license and freedom for all characters' magic and 'universe' rules in my fantasy-genre stories.

Princess Adele-Madeleine of Alsace was led to her carriage outside the Versailles palace by her faithful group of servants. It had been yet another lonely and dull ball- the same dreaded shallow talk, the same soulless people. She'd seen the King and Queen, paid them her respects, spoke with her brothers, and had come to represent her husband who was still off at sea, commanding his Navy fleet. Now, she could take Adam and go home in peace. She hoped the journey would be safe and quick for all.

"How was your social engagement, Your Highness?" one of her servants asked with an air of respect.

Adele gave him a gentle smile. "It went well. Is Adam safely aboard with you?"

"He is. They are all waiting to depart," her driver assured, allowing Adele to be helped aboard by the teenage footman, Francois, who closed their door and took his place with their driver. Adam leaned close to his Maman.

"We were in the park. Monsieur Lumiere and I were playing and feeding the birds," said the young Prince.

"That's wonderful, petit. What kind of birds were they?" his mother asked, beaming down at her son, the only true and pure love of her life. She reached down and touched a lock of the boy's honey-gold hair.

"I don't know," said Adam, leaning into his Maman as she put her arm around him. "They were grey ones, and white ones. But I want birds just like those in our gardens at home."

"You and I ought to find seeds, and try to get them to come to our gardens."

Adam nodded. "I want a lot of birds to feed. And I want Papa to be home for Christmas."

Adele frowned. "Adam, honey- we aren't certain yet if Papa is able to come home yet."

"Why?"

"Petit...there is still a war. He has important things he needs to do."

The young boy's little face went into a scowl. "I hate war. And I hate Papa."

"Adam!" his mother said in not so much of a scolding tone, but a hurt one. "Why do you say such things about your father?"

"It's true. He never wants to be with me. He yelled at me when he was home. I never do anything right. All he wants to do is go to the sea and go to the war!" Adam said bitterly, looking out the window with hurt blue eyes. He tugged at his itchy overcoat and started undoing the gold buttons.

"You must keep your coat on, petit. Winter is coming and you'll catch cold," his mother said. Adam ignored her and took his blue coat off, letting it fall to the floor. Adele frowned, realizing that this was going to be a trying trip with her child in one of his moods.

The child was happiest when he was in the gardens, playing in the maze of rose bushes in the summer, and exploring the frozen river in the winter. Sometimes his tutor, Monsieur LaPlume, would allow him to read his books on a bench by the castle's fountains. The boy had come to love reading. He was bright, and possessed a thirst for knowledge at his young age.

However, her husband had become cross last month when he chose reading in the gardens with his favorite servant Lumiere, over coming with him to another important Navy send-off ceremony. Prince Louis-Alexandre did not want Adam to spend all his time living in the pages of books and dreaming. He was destined to be a man someday- a leader.

The elder Prince attempted to take Adam to his Navy ceremonial drills in the past. He told him to stand next to him and 'watch how a leader commands his men.' Adam wanted to make him proud, but soon he grew tired of standing on his feet after fifteen minutes, watching all the sailors at attention and listening to Papa drone on and on, repeating words like 'victorieux' and 'bataille.' He eventually sat down on the ground, playing with pebbles and getting his uniform dirty. The sailors chuckled in amusement when they were allowed 'at ease,' more from the pleasure of seeing a child playing during an important military event than any disrespect to their Prince and commanding officer. Louis-Alexandre, however, had taken it as a personal affront.

It was true that Adam definitely favored his sweet Maman over his father. The older he grew, the closer he was to her.

Along the journey, the weather grew colder. Adam was cajoled into putting his coat back on, as well as allowed to snuggle next to his mother in her shawl, which she spread around him like a swan's wing. She read a book to him; a little volume of fairy tales.

When they reached the bustling city of Paris, snowflakes began to fall. Princess Adele signaled the driver for a rest stop; she was hungry and thirsty, and Adam needed something to eat so that he would fall asleep the rest of the way.

After having lunch at one of the finest restaurants and being entertained by a family of musicians, the royal mother and son and their retinue of servants set to depart. Adele had been spending her time at the dining table people-watching, as always. She loved seeing the ordinary people at work and at play, and this time her eye was caught by a young girl who appeared to be working there.

She was around her early teens, with a dark complexion and pretty eyes, and she held a duster made of feathers. She had been dusting the dining chairs, empty tables, and the staircase leading to the restaurant's upstairs inn. She looked as if she were constantly trying to keep busy, yet the waiters and other employees seemed to snub her, telling her to go take her duster somewhere else.

Princess Adele reached into her pocket and took out three coins. She approached the young girl as they were about to go back out on the street and to their waiting coach.

"Bonjour, Your Majesty. I have heard tell that you are a Princess," the girl said politely, taking hold of the skirts of her pale-grey dress and lowering herself to a curtsy.

"Merci, honey," Adele said to her in a warm and motherly tone, while Adam looked on grumpily. He wanted to stay in this elegant hotel and restaurant, and was not eager to go out into the chilly, snowy weather in a coach for more hours.

"Here is something to take home to your Maman," Adele said as she took the girl's hands in her own and laid the coins in it.

"Merci," the girl said softly. "May I give you something in return? Please?"

Adele smiled. "Oui, you may." She wondered what sort of service the girl may have had in mind.

"I'll be back in a moment. Please don't go," the girl begged. She turned and went out into the snowy streets, disappearing behind a corner.

"What could she want to give us?" Adam asked. After several moments, the girl came running back. She held a burlap bag filled with birdseed, tied with a string.

"This is for you and for your son. It is so you can feed the birds...Joyeux Noel."

Adam was amazed. "That's what I said I wanted, Maman!" He opened the tied bag, it was filled with all kinds of little seeds in a variety of sizes.

The girl walked with them out to the carriage. "Your Majesty, and young Master, if you ever come to the restaurant again, I hope to see you." She smiled brightly and gave another curtsy.

From the driver's seat of the carriage, the teenage footman named Francois looked on in wonder and admiration at the young girl. He had listened to their entire conversation and was amused at the simple gift of birdseed- something that made young Master Adam happy. He was charmed with the girl's sweet smile and innocent manner. They needed to leave, but he just had to speak to her.

"Excuse me, Mistress Adele, may I collect a canteen of water before we depart?" he asked the Princess while he aided Adam up the step to board the carriage.

"Of course you may, Francois," Adele replied. Francois hopped off the carriage in a swift, athletic manner, walking with his head and shoulders high to make himself appear tall. He walked past the mystery birdseed girl and grinned.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle!" he said, tipping his hat. "Can you tell me where there is a well where I can fill my water canteen?"

"Oui. There is a fountain pump on the corner of the street. Do you wish for me to show you?"

"Merci," said the boy. As they walked, the girl took some birdseed from her pocket and held it up in her cupped hands.

"What are you doing, mademoiselle?" he asked her politely.

"I hope to lure one of the doves flying overhead," she replied. That moment, two doves flew down to her, both fluttering at her hands and eating the seeds.

Francois stepped back, startled. "Sacrebleu, you have a way with birds!"

"I consider them my friends," she said wistfully. "Two turtle doves...now I only need a partridge in a pear tree."

"I am not certain where to find such a thing. But I do know where there are many ladies dancing. Much more than nine. Though I would rather see you dancing there along with them," Francois quipped, making her laugh. "At home in our great castle, of course. It is only a half a day's carriage ride away. I am a servant there, and a footman for this trip." He gave her a pleasant smile. As they walked to the well and fetched water, the doves continued to fly in circles around the two young people.

"You live in a castle?" she asked, intrigued.

"I do. It's the castle of Alsace in the east. My parents are among Prince Louis-Alexandre's royal musicians. I can sing a little."

The girl's face lit with joy. "I love to sing!"

"What is your name?" Francois asked her. "I only want to know, even though I shall never likely see you again. My name is Francois Lumiere."

"I…" She faltered. "My...name is…"

Her family had placed an Enchantment on her name. If she spoke it out loud to an ordinary, non-Magical boy, they would be able to spy on her- and the boy- with her mother's Magic Mirror.

She decided to use a nickname. A feather from one of the doves fell loose from the bird's tail and landed in her hair. She tucked it behind the braid.

"Plumette," she said.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Plumette!" Francois said. "We will visit this city again. Perhaps if I see a dove near our castle, I will think of you."

"Merci," she said shyly. "I hope you have a merry Christmas, and I wish safety in your travels."

The boy walked away with his water, hopped on the carriage, and the royal family and its retinue rolled away.

The girl vowed to always remember Francois- and the lovely and kind Princess of Alsace, her young son, and their castle. If anything, she would hope to visit that place someday.

…

Jacinta Colombe Clement was a happy girl in her circumstances, but often felt restless and confined, wishing to be useful.

Her Maman, Sabine Clement, had left her father and struck out on her own when she learned that he'd been taking on many mistresses in his travels and did not truly love her. Her Papa, Philippe Clement, was a pure-heritage Enchanter from one of the most powerful Magical families in France. He had taken Sabine in marriage while on a trip to West Africa, after being told by the sorcerers in her home village that she was a pureblood Enchantress.

Philippe had been charmed by Sabine's beauty, magical gifts, and skill in potions, and decided that she made the perfect wife. He learned later that despite the fact Sabine had powerful magic herself, she had 'holes' in her family tree- including a sister who lacked The Gift, and a grandmother whose family branch was entirely Sans-Magie.

Sabine soon bore Phillipe a daughter, little Jacinta. She gave her the middle name 'Colombe' when she held the newborn baby in her arms and heard the mourning cry of a dove outside the bedroom window.

It would be proven before the age of two that the little girl would be a grave disappointment to her father. She had no magical ability at all. In the Enchanted society, she was called a 'Defective,' a person born to Magical parents who had no ability to perform spells or learn to handle a wand.

Despite the fact, Sabine loved and nurtured her daughter, teaching her to sing songs and cook and clean the way those without magic did. She hoped that Jacinta could grow up and at least marry an Enchanter, producing Magical children herself. Sabine had her hopes on Jacinta marrying into either the Sauvageons, or other families, all powerful in magic. The Sauvageons had one son who was near Jacinta's age.

Unfortunately, most members of those families held disdain and prejudice for those who were either Defectives or Sans-Magies. They sent their children to magical school at young ages to socialize with their kind only.

Sabine eventually gave birth to her long-awaited second child, a boy they named Marcel Philippe. From infancy, the couple could see that he did possess magic. Philippe was finally a proud father; he doted on his son but rejected the girl.

Jacinta grew to be a kind and cheerful girl who loved the simple things of life, things that held a special 'magic' of their own- birds, pets, church bells in cathedrals, and especially music. She loved singing Christmas carols and folk songs. She was a natural caregiver, watching her little brother when Maman and Papa went off to Magical Society functions.

After some years, the marriage began to falter. Sabine fell into a deep despair over her husband's travels and known philandering. It became rumored that he'd fathered another child by a pure-heritage Enchantress he'd met in the Nordic lands. The thought of a fair, blonde Magical child born to Philippe Clement, one who looked nothing like her own two beautiful brown-skinned offspring, one likely to win his favor by resemblance, broke her heart. It was then that Sabine packed up all of her and her children's belongings, shrunk them down into a tiny case, put the children and herself into her flying horse-drawn coach, and fled to Paris where her sister Celeste, the one with no magic, lived with her Enchanter husband.

Jacinta's mother, aunt, and uncle subjected her to stricter and stricter rules, meant to keep her from making too many friends with Sans-Magie children, especially boys.

As she turned fourteen, Jacinta was becoming more of a young lady. She liked to wander, explore the city parks and cathedrals, and listen to the bells and the choirs. She shyly entered a hotel and restaurant one day, carrying a fluffy white feather duster and asking the owner if she could dust and clean for him. Her family had no need for Sans-Magie currency and so she offered to work for free- something that the owner took for greedy advantage. Jacinta liked using the feather duster, and warm water rags and soap to tidy the elegant rooms, mainly because it gave her a chance to listen to the musicians that came to the establishment. The owner thought it was odd to see a girl who actually liked to clean.

When Maman and Aunt Celeste learned that Jacinta was seeking out 'common labor' in the city, they forbid her from going out. Maman used magic to keep their house's door locked. It wasn't merely pride as an Enchanted family that made Sabine isolate Jacinta in her home. She truly worried that Jacinta could be taken by cruel Sans-Magie men- and sold into slavery.

It was for her own good.

One December morning, Maman was sleeping late after a social event the night before. Aunt Celeste and Uncle Edouard were out. Jacinta and her five-year-old brother Marcel were just awakening in their little attic apartment, within hearing distance of the cathedral church bells.

Jacinta opened her bedroom window and began to perform one of the daily rituals she loved most. "Marcel, petit, it's time to feed the birds! Want to watch?"

"Oui, the birds! Make the pretty birds come in, Jacinta!" the little boy exclaimed.

She took a handful of birdseed from a bucket and opened the shutters of her window, letting chill crisp air and snowflakes to enter the room. Then, she sprinkled the birdseed on the windowsill and floor. Within moments, a group of white doves came flying in, pecking at the seeds. Marcel jumped out of his bed and tried to catch one. He held out his hands and caused one of the doves to fly in his direction.

"Don't!" she chided. "The doves are to look at, not play with!"

"Why?" The dove fluttered its wings in the boy's nose before he shooed it away.

"Because. They are delicate and special creatures. Just watch them."

The church bells began to play their joyful symphony. After a few moments, the doves flew one by one out of the window.

Jacinta watched them, wishing she could fly so easily out the window like they did. She stuck her head out the window, and then went to lift up Marcel so he could see out at the rooftops and church steeples with her. The doves flew away in a pack, alighting upon the cathedral bell tower, their white feathered forms matching the snowflakes perfectly. The spirit and joy of Christmas was beginning to charm the city, and the Clement children had the perfect view from their humble bedroom.

"What do you want for Christmas, Jacinta?" Marcel asked. "I want some toy hoops. Or my own broom."

"My only wish for Christmas...is to someday be able to fly like one of those doves," Jacinta said wistfully. "And as for you, petit, you are too little to fly a broom yet! You have to be eleven to go to your school, and then you'll have lessons in broom sports. Just wait six years." She kissed Marcel's cheek affectionately, and set him back down on the floor.

"I want to play for the Faucons de Paris when I'm big. I liked that game. Will you ever go to school?" he asked.

"No," Jacinta said sadly. "There is no school for a girl like me."

Girls of ability in Magical society went to school to learn spells, potions, and all kinds of Enchanted studies. She was lucky that Maman taught her to read simple books and write.

"I wish I could be allowed outside for only a little while," she said.

"Maman said stay in the house," Marcel reminded her, parroting their mother's repeated mantra.

Jacinta felt rebellious. She wanted to either go to the cathedral, or back to that restaurant where she had met a Princess, a little Prince, and the charming teenage boy. But they were no longer in the city, they had gone away to their castle in a place called 'Alsace,' a long distance away.

The thought came to her that she could write to them, and send them letters- via birds!

Letters usually weren't carried by doves, the only birds that Jacinta had the odd ability to attract. Magical folk sent their post by either owls, pigeons, or hawks. She found some paper and a pen, and wrote a simple note.

On the wings of this dove,

I send Christmas greetings,

To all of you with love.

-Plumette, the Bird Girl in Paris

Though she was nobody's poet, Jacinta thought it a kind greeting. She wrote 'To the Castle in Alsace' on the back, hoping she spelled it right. She then rolled the paper up and went to her window again with Marcel tagging along. Jacinta opened the window again and set more birdseed on it.

A dove flew in within moments. "Marcel, can you make him stop and freeze?" she asked.

Marcel pointed one little finger. "Stop! Freeze!" he said, and though he was only five and hadn't earned a magic wand for his own use yet, he willed the dove to freeze still in midair. He had learned to do such tricks with other animals, sometimes making dogs levitate in midair- a prank which earned him scoldings from Maman.

"The paper is too big for the bird," she realized. "Can you make it shrink smaller?" She held the note in the palm of her hand.

Marcel scrunched his little face and concentrated on the rolled up piece of stationery. "Smaller!" he said, and the paper immediately became tiny, only two inches long.

"Perfect! Thank you, mon petit frere!" she said, feeling a little guilty that she took advantage of a small child's magic for her own curious schemes. She used a ribbon from her hair ribbon collection to tie it to the leg of the dove suspended in midair. She tied several knots, hoping it would stay secure. Maman did this all the time with the hawks and owls that came and went in the Post.

"Now, Marcel, can you 'unfreeze' the bird? That means make it fly again. Say 'fly.'"

"Fly!" Marcel exclaimed, gesturing, and the bird was reanimated. Jacinta opened the window and the dove took off.

"Where is the bird going?" Marcel asked her.

"I want it to go to the castle where the Princess of Alsace lives," said Jacinta.

Little Marcel, eager to be helpful, yelled out the window. "Fly to the Princess!" he cried out, jumping up and down to be at eye level and flapping his own arms for effect. "The castle! The castle! Bring the letter to the castle!"

"I wonder if it will obey you?" Jacinta said, laughing.

It would be amusing if the bird did as the little boy asked. She had no idea how Owl and Hawk Post worked; it seemed as if the birds of special purpose simply were programmed to go where and to who they were supposed to, likely controlled by adult Enchanters. It was a silly fantasy for Jacinta to assume that her dove could do the same task as the official Magical Post birds. Still, it was fun and it entertained her imagination.

…

On Christmas morning, Jacinta opened her window. Before she could even put out seeds, a dove flew into her bedroom. It had a rolled up piece of blue stationery attached to its leg.

The bird stayed still and allowed her to untie it. Somehow, it had been Enchanted and trained!

She unrolled the paper. Someone had written a note just for her!

'Plumette, my lovely Bird Girl,

It was my greatest pleasure to meet you! If you ever come this way, please visit our grand castle. If there were only a way you could tell this bird to seek me out by name, so we could keep writing to each other.

Your friend forever,

Francois Lumiere

Jacinta's eyes were shining with tears of joy. She hugged the note close to her heart, almost squealing in excitement while her baby brother lay near her, sleeping. It was from that boy!

Of course, Jacinta was merely a child, and this was only her first teenage crush. She remembered the boy clearly; he had worn a navy blue suit with a gold waistcoat, had light golden brown hair that curled, and eyes filled with laughter and humor. He hadn't been very tall or big, but he was definitely older than her, probably sixteen or seventeen. He'd said he liked to sing. And he was certainly Sans-Magie, which meant he was not a boy who would ever be approved by her mother, aunt, uncle, or rejecting father.

She found another piece of paper and wrote a letter back.

Dear Francois,

It is me again, your Plumette. I got your letter on Christmas morning! I might have a way to make this bird fly back to you and deliver this one. Do you believe in magic? I do. I remember your face, it was kind, and I was glad you got your water. I hope you are enjoying your nine pipers piping and twelve (or more) ladies dancing! Are there swans a-swimming? I suppose not now since it is wintertime. Oh, I wish I could write you a whole book but I must keep this piece of paper small and light for our bird.

Your friend forever,

Plumette

She rolled and attached the letter to the dove's small leg. When her little brother woke in the bed across from hers, Jacinta told him to 'make the bird fly to my Francois.' Marcel was happy to join her in this game by helping Enchant the dove to be Jacinta's own personal Post bird. Perhaps it was wrong to defy her Maman in having this secret pen pal, but Jacinta didn't see any harm in it.

For four years, 'Plumette'- Jacinta's pen name for herself- and Francois Lumiere corresponded by letters sent by Enchanted dove. Francois spoke of going to sail with the elder Prince at sea for a few months when the war ended. He wrote about new servants he'd befriended who had been brought over from England.

And when Jacinta turned eighteen, he told her in his final letter that Princess Adele was becoming chronically ill, and that the little Prince named Adam, now twelve, was starting to become angry and spoiled and entitled now that his father still forced him to fit his mold and character.

'My Plumette, our Master has been dismissing his maids left and right for not obeying him and not living up to his standards. Whenever he is home from war, he runs this castle like one of his ships. He shipped away again and will be back in two months. I believe that YOU now have a chance to join our staff and come to our castle! If you wish to inquire, take a coach to the town called Villeneuve. Mistress Adele goes to the village often, giving charity. She told me she is looking for maids. I am sending you money for travel. I admit that I have selfish motivations in all of this, dear Plumette. I finally want to meet you face to face after all this time. Your smile has been in my memory forever, and do not worry, you will be beautiful to me whether you are dressed in lace or rags. 'Bon voyage' to you, if you accept my offer.

Your Francois

...

Along with this letter were some Sans-Magie coins wrapped in fine fabric.

Jacinta then made the decision to strike out on her own. She had been locked inside her apartment by her family for years, only allowed to go out in the city in the company of her mother or aunt, never alone. She had barely made friends among Magical folk; the only thing she liked about those people were the curious and odd creatures some of them kept as pets. All of the 'Pureblood' boys that Sabine wanted Jacinta to get to know avoided her, for she could do no magic.

She packed up her things early in the morning, while her brother slept with his new pet, a fluffy living ball of blue fur with a rodent face. Jacinta could hear the creature breathing along with him. He'd named it 'Bleu-Pierre,' in honor of the bright pink one he had before that was called 'Rose-Pierre.' That pet had died of old age; Marcel had been crushed.

The young woman bent down and kissed the boy's cheek. "Marcel, wake up, petit."

The boy woke up, and Bleu-Pierre even began to stir, crawling over his face and tickling him. "Jacinta?"

"I am leaving on a trip. I might not be back for a long time."

"You're leaving?" the boy asked, distressed.

"Oui. I'm grown now. I want to travel. Please tell Maman and Aunt Celeste and Uncle Edouard that I will return. Remember to feed the birds. You can write a letter to me by my Dove Post, all right?"

"All right, Jacinta," he replied. "Come home soon. Love you."

"Love you too," Jacinta said tearfully, as she hugged her brother tight. She went to the windowsill, took a deep breath, and decided to put all her trust in the child. "I am going out the window, just like one of the birds. Can you...help me down safely, so I cannot fall?"

"That isn't safe, Jacinta!"

"Use your Floating charm, Marcel. I have seen you do it. If you help me, I owe you all kinds of presents, and gifts-"

"I don't want that. I want you to be safe, and happy."

"I'm going. Please, Marcel. The Floating Charm." Jacinta put one leg out the window and opened the shutters wide. She swung her other leg out, overcome with fear at the three-story high height and the fear of falling to her death. "Can I trust you, petit?" she said to her brother, her voice shaking.

"Fly! Float!" Marcel cried out, gesturing with his hands. It would still be two years before he was old enough to attend the Academie and use a wand. Yet, Jacinta found herself floating and levitating out the window. Slowly, like an invisible parachute, she lowered to the ground and landed on her feet softly. It was rather fun.

"Merci! I will come back! I promise!" she called to her brother up in the window, and began to run downtown.

A coach- a non-Magical one with horses that did not fly- would be taking passengers at nine in the morning. Jacinta would tell them she wanted a one-way pass to a village called 'Villeneuve.'

When she reached the street with the coach line, she was met by a young woman with fair hair, dressed in green with a silver fur coat. "Mademoiselle Jacinta?" she called out.

"You know of me?" Jacinta asked. "I- I'm sorry to be rude, but I...never meant to have someone meet me here. Are you...a friend of my mother's?"

"I am," the woman said softly. "I'm a friend of your family, actually. I know your plans to leave here and go to visit a Sans-Magie castle."

Jacinta sighed. "So- now I'm in trouble and you're about to send me back home."

Maman and her all-knowing charms! And those families she associated with, the ones she hoped to get Jacinta married into. This woman was surely from one of those powerful Magical clans, sent by Maman to keep tabs on her!

"No, I am not going to send you back if going on an adventure is what you desire most," said the young woman. "My name is Agathe. And I can help you get to that castle safely."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"Let us go behind that building. I can send you to anywhere you wish." The girl named Agathe led Jacinta to the rear of a Paris Bank building. "Hold on to my coat," she said. "Since you are of some Magical blood, what I about to do will work for you."

There was a ringing sound in Jacinta's ears, a strange swooping in her stomach, and everything around her seemed to fade in a bright white haze. When she opened her eyes, she was still standing next to Mademoiselle Agathe.

Before her eyes was an immense, palatial castle, with turrets and a great flight of stone steps.

"I wish to keep you safe, Mademoiselle Clement. I know that you do not want to marry into my family. My name is actually...Mademoiselle Agathe Sauvageon. My brother Auguste was a friend of your father's. He and I both wish for you to be with the one you love most of all, and not an arranged marriage. This place I was led to- is the place where the desires of your heart lie. Is there a young man living in this castle whom you already know?"

"I...yes," Jacinta admitted. "There is a friend who I have written to. He is a servant here. I don't have lofty aspirations to be with the elder Prince, if that is what you think. And the younger Prince is only a child. All I wanted was to visit with my friend Francois. He had invited me here. I may seek out a situation as a maid."

Agathe smiled. "I can see you have purity and modesty in heart. I will leave you here- and I believe the Mistress of the castle is out in her garden." She pointed to the remains of last summer's rose bushes, where a lady was sitting on an elegant bench by a white marble fountain.

It was Princess Adele-Madeleine.

Jacinta began to walk toward her, and she sensed that Agathe had already disappeared. She was nervous; perhaps the Princess was not willing to take in random strangers.

"Your Highness?" said Jacinta when she was within earshot of Adele. She lowered to a curtsy, taking hold of the folds of her modest old dress.

"Oh, hello!" Princess Adele said, surprised to have a visitor walking in on foot. "Mademoiselle- oh my- you must be catching your death of cold! Please come inside," Adele said in a warm, welcoming tone.

The kind Princess had barely changed at all, Jacinta thought.

...


End file.
